Patagonia

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Encompassing the southern tip of the South American continent, Patagonia is truly an end-of-the-world place. The Chilean portion has the vast, desolate steppe found in Argentina, but in the areas west of the Andes, there are also forests of conifers and beech. Here high precipitation ...

Encompassing the southern tip of the South American continent, Patagonia is truly an end-of-the-world place. The Chilean portion has the vast, desolate steppe found in Argentina, but in the areas west of the Andes, there are also forests of conifers and beech. Here high precipitation and cold air have combined to create the huge Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Fields, with massive glaciers spilling into numerous fjords.

In the astonishingly scenic 600,000-acre Torres del Paine National Park, dramatic granite spires tower above pristine crystalline lakes dotted with icebergs. Wildflowers carpet the windswept steppes, and the landscape teems with bird and animal species, including black-necked swans, condors, ostrich-like rheas and herds of fluffy guanacos (cousins to the llama). This is paradise for lovers of the great outdoors, though potential visitors should bear in mind that the weather is unpredictable, the wind blows almost ceaselessly, and the climate can be severe.